The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-06-29
HENRY l.. BI0SSAT, Business Manager.

the ship about and look for me. and
she was kept on her course to Liver.
pool.
Il was clad in quite a heavy wool
jacket, canvas pants and heavy English
walking shoes that laced high around
my ankle. My first effort was to free
myself of the great weight of clothing.
l attempted to get out of my jacket;
after making the most superhuman
efforts had to give it up. I could not
extricate my arms from the sleeve
without drowning myself. Again 1
tried to get rid of it by throwing my
self on my back and floating, at the
same time trying to pick the seam open
that held the sleeve. I had to give
this up. then tried to get my shoe
off, but could not do so. Every effort
made would sink and then all my
strength had to be used in keeping my
head above water. To add to
my misery most excruciating
pain seized me in the back of my head
at the base of my brain. This
was terrible. I had now been in the
water a little over an hour, and was in
full possession of every faculty. Ny
whole life passed before me like
panorama. Scenes of my childhood
that had faded from memory were
again as fresh as in the days of youth.
Calmly and quietly 1 resigned myself
to my fate. Not even a ray of hope
entered my mind.
Il had just finished what / supposed
was my last prayer to the great Jeho-
yah, in whose presence soon expected
to be, and asked of Him special
blessing on my wife and children, when
to my great surprise, as if it were from
out the great deep, l saw a red light
some distance from and coming toward
me. AS it drew quite near raised
myself up in the water and cried out
for assistance. My second or third hail
was answered, and the ship put about
Iheard the watch on deck calling up the
watch below. / had now been in the
water fully an hour and half The
pupils Of my eyes had become so much
dilated that every thing was greatly
magnified. The ship looked to me as
large as mountain. 1t seemed as if
they would never get the small boat
into the water. / was nearly exhaust
ed and could not have lasted many
minutes more. AS Isaw the boat COM
ingI really supposed it a ship, it
looked so large. The next moment it
shot up to me and 1 found myself
seized by strong and willing arms and
pulled into the boat. My rescuer
proved to be noble DANISH sailor, the
master of a little coasting schooner.
Every attention was shown me. My
rags were exchanged for the captains
best. could retain neither food nor
spirits for some time on account of
having swallowed so much sea water.
My benefactor could not speak
English nor Danish and it was hard
to make him understand how I came to
be in the middle of the English Chan
mel, swimming for my life. Twas in a
sad plight. My clothes were in tatters,
the knees of my pantaloons were split
open, and my engine-room suit not
very genteel at the best. found the
schooner bound for Little Hampton,
England, only short sail from where
1 was picked up. l was delighted at
this, knowing I could reach home by
rail before the ship Kingdom reached
Liverpool, and thus save my wife the
terrible shock of hearing me reported
lost.
Twas penniless ard clad in a manner
that would cause me to appear as an
improvement on any tramp you ever
saw. I thought once on England's
shore / would meet friends. I could
not blame any one for turning a
deaf ear to my story.
My escape was so miraculous
and my general appearance so much
on the order of a vagrant, that ] was
voted liar by all. 1t was three
o'clock Sunday afternoon when I
stepped on shore and bid my rescuer
adieu. I was nearly three hundred
miles from Liverpool. Icalled on the
railway station master and begged him
to send me to Liverpool. My story
was taken for lie. and l was threat
ened with arrest as an imposter. !
bethought that the agent in charge Of
the fund for the benefit of shipwrecked
seamen would loan me money enough
to get on with. He like all others,
viewed me with suspicious eye and re-
fused to loan me tenpence to pay a
telegram to my employers (the owners
of the ship asking assistance. Finally
he consented to go with me to the tele-
graph office and pay for the message.
Gas I wrote the message my eyes
fell on small diamond ring on my
little finger. l had not thought OF this
before. l had paid ten pounds for it
only short time previous. I felt like
lord at once, and apologized for hay
ing been trouble to him. My great
change of manner surprised the gen.
tleman. His curiosity was aroused and
he wished to know what had come over